Santissimi Salvatore, Enna
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Santissimi Salvatore or ''SS. Salvatore'' (Holiest Savior) is the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
church located on Via San Salvatore in the town of
Enna Enna ( or ; ; , less frequently ), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 as Castrogiovanni ( ), is a city and located roughly at the center of Sicily, southern Italy, in the province of Enna, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has e ...
, in the region of
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
, Italy.


History and description

A chapel at the site was erected circa 1261 as a private chapel adjacent to the Basilian Monastery. But by 1572 the local ''Confraternity of the Collegio del SS. Salvatore'' obtained permission from the Bishop of
Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...
to replace the chapel with this church, completed in 1579. A few columns from the Basilian cloister are seen in the inner courtyard. Much of the interior dates to 17th-century refurbishment including the maiolica ceramic floor and the elaborately carved rosettes and cassettoni in the oak ceiling. The single nave is framed by white pilasters and columns with stucco statues of saints. The cruxifix at the main altar dates to 1262. The statue of the Dead Christ dates, however, to the 17th century. The icon of the ''Risen Christ'' is carried in an Easter procession. One of the altarpieces is a copy of Raphael's '' Transfiguration''. The exterior bell-tower was completed in 1888. The church courtyard uses spolia columns from a medieval Basilian monastery that was nearby. In the 18th century, the church was further decorated with a reliquary of St Erasmus made of alabaster with a statue of the ''Madonna delle Vittorie'', also called ''del Cardellino''. The church and its artworks has undergone a number of recent restorations.Comune of Enna website


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salvatore Enna 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Enna Churches completed in 1579